Life is a Mysterious Puzzle
by AGENT Kuma-chan
Summary: When Sakura moved to her new town, she never expected to have to endure crazy teachers, a maze of a school, and plots to take over the town world. She definetly did not expect to met Sasuke, and maybe fall in love. Maybe. Sasusaku, AU, Highschool fic.
1. Welcome to the Middle of Nowhere

If I Owned Naruto, I WOULD RULE THE WORLD! Think about it; it's read in many countries by many people. I could use it as a BRAINWASHING tool.

Dedication: I dedicate this chapter to Onyx and Pink (plus its sequel) by shariganuser21, and to Ninja High (and Naruto for the Teenage Soul) by Extra Ren. As well, this was written in an effort to improve my humor. Which, face it, needs all the help it can get.

* * *

_ Something always triggers a chain of events. It might be something insignificant, like leaving your home late, or something important, like meeting someone. However, the results are something you might never expect. Something that makes you wonder how you got to where you are now. But that never matters, as in the end, you have achieved something. And that is more than most can say._

**Life is a Mysterious Puzzle**

**Chapter One**

_If you ignore the ghosts, endless basement, and the beer bottles, then yes, this is a good school._

Staring at the dark building in front of me, I shivered. Why? Because it is a CREEPY, EERIE building that will become my SCHOOL. It isn't scary because of the fact that it used to be a prison (though, that _definitely _did not help. Really, who looks forward to going to a _prison_ everyday? It probably has jail cells for classrooms and prison guards for teachers…Another reason for me to fear this school. Great). No, the reason this school freaked me out is because it looked like the setting for a horror film. Maybe Hollywood filmed The Saw or Jason or some other gory film after seeing this school. It had an _aura_ (seriously, you could actually see the purple outline), and dark clouds surrounding it (didn't the weatherman—weatherperson—say that it is supposed to be SUNNY today?) All that is missing is the lightening.

_CRACK! Lightening filled the air._

Scratch that out. Seems that the clouds want to fulfill their destiny and make the weather match the setting. Fine, all that is missing is evil, red-eyed crows (let's see that happen).

_CAW! CAW! Several crows started to land on the building, their beady red eyes looking around._

…Maybe all of nature is going to join in the fun of "Let's make the stranger feel scared out of her mind and maybe she will run away. Or maybe just join the body count." However, even though their (imaginary) plan is working, I won't let that scare me off. I'm stubborn (I once even chased down a bus two blocks before it let me on. Though, that might not have been the wisest decision—I collapsed on to my seat and fell asleep, missing my stop. And my legs were sore for a week).

Back to the school; it has nearly everything to make it a horror film (is someone shooting a movie, and failed to put up a sign? That would explain everything...), except for that crazy, evil scientist that creates life and then gets killed by it.

…..

HELL YA!! NOTHING HAPPENED! Acting really happy for some reason (yes, I get happy easily. Even defeating imaginary plots makes me smile), I started to jump up and down, pumping my arms in the air (luckily, no one was watching. Otherwise I would have gotten so many stares. And looks of pity, wondering if I'm demented. Which I'm not).

SLAM!! Turning to look at what made that noise, I noticed that the school doors had opened and some old guy was running down the stairs (running? Isn't this guy old? Is he _trying _to get a heart attack? And trying to get ME to suddenly learn how to save his life? If he is, he better have no regrets before dying). Suddenly he started to dance around me, grabbed my arms (uh, a pedophile?) and then screamed into my ears that were right in front of him, "I'VE DISCOVERED HOW TO CREATE LIFE!!" then he let go and ran off. Only to run into a tree. Luckily (unless he got brain damage. But he already seems demented, so that might not make a difference), he got right back up and ran off.

I just turned back to my school, looking at it in horror (yeah, _if_ the other things didn't scare me before, this certainly did). Just when I thought I saw it all…

Thanks, god. Really. Make me feel like I'm safe (or at least, relatively safe), and then go and screw me over. LIFE? WHAT SORT OF SCHOOL HAS PEDOPHILIC OLD MEN RUNNING AROUND?

…as soon as I can, I am getting out of this school. Really, is this a good school? When **he** sent me here, it sounded amazing, but then…

** He **might just be using this as a place to get rid of me. As a place to dump me so that **he** can avoid me even more than **he** already is…

No! I promised myself I would not think about that. Besides, this might not even be the _right_ school! I mean the note was vague…

Maybe I should reread it, just to make sure. Getting out that note, I quickly opened it and pressed it flat (I was practicing my terrible origami skills on it). Scanning the note, I realized, again, that there was no way I could tell what school this was from. After all, it read:

Dear Nerd/Geek,

Apparently you're smart enough to enter our prison—I mean school. Big whoop. I'm sure you spent hours trying to appear smart and do weird questions. That's what your kind does, right? Anyways, I'm supposed to congratulate you.

Congratulations.

Now, when you come to MY school, if YOU want to be ACCEPTED, you'd better bring me a HUGE sake bottle. I want one. Now. So, no excuses. I'm sure you could use my help, considering the fact that you have no social life, or even want one. Who else would be crazy enough to enter our accelerated program?

_Your LEADER and PRINCIPAL,_

_The amazing blonde leader who rules over all_

At least, it seems like there is no way to tell. That was, until I read the school's sign.

**Welcome to the Middle of Nowhere!**

**AKA Konoha's Tree of Learning!**

…**what a dumb name….**

…Yeah. That helps. A lot. Whoever made my note _must _have made that sign. How many other people write like that? It can't really get much worse than this.

* * *

I was wrong. It got _much_ worse.

How? There were many ways. As in, when was the last time they _cleaned_ the hallways? The second I got in, there were dark, dusty corridors. With spider webs. Did I mention how much I hate spiders?

And the school signs…what sort of school is this? One that has a cult? All along the hallways, there were posters advertising something. Some were normal (at least, by my standards), like "Drama Club, down these stairs." Except for the fact that it was pointing to a wall (was the person posting the sign BLIND??). There go my chances of joining the club. It doesn't stop there. The signs got worse. One the left wall, there is a sign saying, "Ghost Convention, Meet in the Attic!" (…I'm not scared of ghosts. They don't _exist_. They are not _real_. If I say that enough, maybe I'll believe it), and on the right wall, was a sign saying, "Watch out for Snakes!" and "Giants only!"

…I have to watch out for SNAKES in a SCHOOL?? I'm not even going to try and figure out what it means by giants.

Now, seeing all of these weird signs, you'd have thought I would be CAREFUL. But, no, I ignore the only NORMAL sign. A sign that is huge (as tall as me. Do they even make paper that big?), with BOLD, BIG letters, warning me of slippery floors (at least they clean _something_).

Me, being the clumsy girl I am, immediately slides across the floor. And through an open door. Which happens to have stairs leading to the basement (this must have been where the drama club is supposed to meet). And then I tumbled onto a huge bean bag was at the foot of the stairs (see, I'm not the only clumsy person. Other people fall through that door and left this beanbag for comfort). I also banged my head a little...Ouch...

* * *

Looking around, I noticed I was in a basement. Or at least, it should be a basement, however, it is too BIG. The room seems to go on FOREVER, and is filled with…things. (What else do you call castle as tall as a person, surrounded by a moat that is filled with fish. Fish with sharp pointy teeth…those had better NOT be piranhas. And there is also a model of a moon that is as big as a teacher's desk, with mini GODZILLA'S on it! And, to top it all off, there is a huge PYRAMID on one side).

And, in this huge maze of random and weird objects, I did the stupidest thing ever.

I walked around.

Sure, for those of you that can follow directions, there is no problem. But for those, who are like me and can't even find the front door to their house, there is a problem. A huge problem. I'm stuck in a BASEMENT, with NO ONE to help. I might DIE down here, and no one will find my body for days (Great. Now I'm picturing skeletons. This is really encouraging.)

"Are you lost?"

…WHERE DID THAT VOICE COME FROM??

Turning around, I quickly scanned the room, looking for intelligent life forms.

…and there is none.

Ok. Calm Down. No one is here. I was just imagining things. And there is no such thing as a ghost, and no one is haunting this place because they got lost here and died trying to find an exit. That was just some tape being played. That's it….DIDN'T THEY HAVE A GHOST CONVENTION SIGN? No, it was just a silly joke, not to be taken seriously. BUT THIS WAS A PRISON! WHERE MANY PEOPLE _DIED_!!

…...

I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!!

And then a hand touched me. A _dead_ person's hand.

"AAAHHH!!" I screamed (obviously).

And then I heard that voice again. The ghost's voice saying, "Easy there!" using the tone that one uses when they talk to horses, which I'm not. (I've seen the Horse Whisperer. That tells me everything I need to know). I really want to yell at the voice to _leave and go to heaven (or hell)_, except you shouldn't yell at dead people. So instead I watch the ground in front of me.

And see a dead body step out into the dim light. It was of a young girl, with long wavy locks of hair that fell softly down to her waist. The hair was dark brown, with streaks of light brown appearing naturally in it. Her eyes were dark brown too, with tints of chestnut that seemed to be laughing lightly. That was all I could see, and really, I feel ugly now (Just before the dead girl wants to kill me so see won't be lonely, I see that she is prettier than me. Me with my long pink hair and green eyes, and her with her normal looks. Guess who wins? Well…I sort of do, since I look _exotic_. Note to all males; don't use that pick-up line on me. It gets TIRING to hear the same thing over and over.)

Then the dead girl/ghost that is trying to steal my soul looked up at me and asked, "Do you want to come down now?"

Oh. That's right. I sort of forgot to mention that the second she touched me, I immediately climbed to the top of the pyramid near me (Hey, she wants to kill me so she isn't lonely. Why _would _I stay down on the ground?).

"You're alive, right?" I asked her. No way am I coming down if she isn't.

"…" the girl's eyes widened, before she cheekily replied, "No, I'm not. I'm just going up to the ghosts' convention and wanted to help you out." That's it. I'm climbing higher. Apparently, she noticed my futile attempts at escaping, and she quickly added, "I'm just kidding! I'm alive, and I'm a student!"

I stared at her for a moment, before climbing down. Then, the second I touched the floor, I pinched her (I had to make sure she was real. And not lying to me.)

"HEY! THAT HURT!" the weird girl yelled. I didn't even pinch her that hard! And then, as if to get revenge, she pinches me back. Ten times harder than I did. She has MONSTER strength; I can still feel the pain.

She then ignores me rubbing my arms to erase the pain, and asks, "Anyways, wanna get out of here?" And without waiting for an answer, she starts to leave.

….WHAT SORT OF HELP WAS THAT? Leaving an INJURED person behind? She is sooo lucky that I do not hold grudges.

Running to catch up with her, I call out to her, "Hey! Ghost girl…" I can't call her that. "My name is Sakura; what's yours?"

Then, five minutes later, my guide tells me, "My name is Tsubasa. Wait, that was yesterday's name. Today's name is…Miska!"

She doesn't know her own name? And I saw her counting her fingers when she was trying to remember her name. Suddenly, I'm having doubts about whether or not I should follow her out. We walked for a while, before we hit a snag.

"Hmm...now let's see…which way is out…" the creature called 'Miska' mused out loud.

Now I'm pretty sure I don't want to follow her. I do the only thing a normal person would do in this situation. In a calm, relaxed manner, I yelled at her, saying, "YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO ESCAPE THIS NEVER-ENDING ROOM? AND YOU SAID YOU WOULD LEAD ME OUT?"

Fine, maybe I was scared and panicky when I yelled that. Still, we had been walking for HOURS, when it only took me MINUTES to get lost. A big gap in between those two time periods. And now my savoir says she doesn't know the way? Who wouldn't yell?

"Oh, that's just because this room usually changes its exit. Sometimes it has it in one place, and sometimes in another," Miska replied simply, before adding, "Now I know where it is. Follow me!"

…right. Follow her. Follow the girl-who-must-be-on-drugs. Follow the person who is telling me a _room_ that is built in one way has different exits at different times.

I think not.

Then again, I have no one to follow (god, next time you send someone to save me, please send a handsome guy, who will rescue me quickly and then fall madly in love with me), so I have to go with her.

We climbed some stairs, and suddenly a bright light appeared before me. And then, I, being the smart person I am, screamed, "NO! I DON'T WANT TO SEE HEAVEN YET!!"

Ok, maybe I over reacted a little. But, after all of the talk about ghosts and her being unreliable, I just thought that she wanted to commit suicide. And then, thinking it would be a lonely trip, decided to kill me too. (Hey, I was in a dark room with little light and no fresh air. I'm allowed to make stupid mistakes. )

However, it didn't help that she then yelled back at me, "YES, YOU ARE! AND YOU'RE COMING!" Her yelling that at me sort of helps me believe that she has killed me.

And then she pulled me into the light, and all I saw was grey. Not black, grey. As in, grey halls that looked…messy.

"Heaven is sooo…dirty," I told her.

"Well, heaven isn't what you expect it to be. Anyways, who said we're in heaven?" she asked me, turning around.

I looked around the hall and realized I was back in the school. Oops.

Ever get that feeling of wanting to sink through the floor? All because of embarrassment? I didn't get that feeling. Instead, I wished that I actually could go up. Because going down would mean having to go into that basement. Which I never want to see again. Trying to save whatever dignity I had left, I tried to subtly shift the blame to her. "Well, you kept talking about heaven!"

Ok, that wasn't subtle. At least she will get flustered and ignore me because of that sentence…

Miska grinned at me, "Silly! That was because you mentioned it, and it seemed like a fun game!"

Or not. Now I'm back to the spotlight. Speaking of the light…

I could finally see what she fully looked like. And contrary to my first opinion, she wasn't beautiful. Just, cute.

Besides the brown hair and dark eyes I noticed earlier, the girl was also wearing glasses that made her eyes look cat-like. She was taller than me, maybe 5' 7" (WHY? Why is the world FILLED with people who are taller than me? DAMN YOU HORMONES! Grow! MAKE ME TALLER!), and had long arms. Her fingers were long as well, the way an artists were, and she had a warm smile on her face. Her jeans were slightly loose and dark brown, seeming to be a little longer than her legs and made out of a soft felt-like material. Her shirt was a bright, aqua-blue t-shirt, which hung around her body loosely as well.

Whereas I was wearing stylish clothes (that have a layer of dust because of the basement. And now are not so stylish).

Then she grabs my hand (with her soft hands. I have to find out what type of soap she uses), and pulls me after her. I thought I would get rid of her when I escaped the basement, and now she takes me somewhere? DARN IT!

"Where are we going?" I finally ask her, as she drags me through halls. She is running, with me just flying behind her (really, I don't even move. She is so strong that I just am moved by her pulling me).

"Oh, the principal's office. You're new here. But before that, why don't we go to the gambling room? Or the 'den of sin'? There are so many fun places to go to," she replies, smiling.

…..

"No thanks!" I quickly say. How can she SMILE while saying "den of sin" and "gambling room"? And why would she want to go there? Don't tell me…

…my first day of high school and I am immediately get attacked by a gang member. Or a drug addict. Or a criminal. Or all of the above. And now she wants me to join her in her illegal activities.

"No, I insist. Chose one," Miska asks again.

"NO, REALLY! I do NOT want to go!" I don't care how persistent she is. I am NOT having a police file.

"Fine. If you say so…the den of sin it is!" she says, pulling me off in a direction.

"NO! PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, NOW!" Can't the girl take "No" for an answer? If she wants to have a drug buddy, she can go kidnap some other poor girl and force her to join. Just not me.

"Spoiled sport," Miska retorted, sticking out her tongue (she is so childish. But then again, I also do that….NO! WE HAVE A SIMILARITY!) before knocking on a door in front of her. The hallway we were in now was clean and proper-looking. No paint peeling, no dust, it was a completely different building all together. I would have thought that we were in a different school, if it wasn't for the fact that the wooden door in front of us had, in gold, these words written:

**I AM THE LEADER OF THE WORLD!**

…**AND IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT,**

**I'M AT LEAST THE LEADER OF THIS SCHOOL!**

**MY WORD IS LAW! **

**OBEY MY EVERY COMMAND!**

**I'M ALWAYS RIGHT! **

**BARK LIKE A DOG FOR ME! **

This must have been the person who wrote the note. She/he seems…confident. And dictating (don't tell me they are actually using the prison rules here). "You're principal…she's…she's…" I struggled to think of a polite word to say. For all I know, Miska could be on of the principal's hippie followers and would beat me up for insulting her leader.

"Oh, she's fun. I think she's awake now," Miska said, as she heard a large THUMP! from the room. It was followed by a, "DAMN YOU, EVIL PAPER!" and a "GO TO HELL, PIGGY!" before the door opened up to show a young woman that had dark hair and eyes. (What happened in that room? And did she just curse paper? And she was sleeping, while she is supposed to be working. This is another reason to go to a different school.) The lady who opened the door was dressed in white, wearing a white lab coat over a dark purple shirt and long black pants. She carried a small pink pig, and smiled at Miska (totally ignoring me), before finally noticing me (uh, hello? I have PINK hair. I'm sure you'd notice me first.)

Then, deciding that she should actually introduce herself (using the much needed manners), she said, "You must be the new student arriving today," she then pointed over her shoulder, back into the room. "Tsunade," the woman started to say before someone yelled, "I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME 'OH GREAT ONE!" Twitching slightly, the woman continued, "I'm Shizune, the nurse in this school, and Tsunade," "THE AMAZING MAGICIAN!" "Tsunade," "I MEANT THE GODDESS OF THE TOWN" "that woman in there yelling is our principal."

(Right. I go to a school filled with crazy people. A future rehab user for my guide and a principal who wants to be a magician. At least the nurse seems normal enough. Except she carries a pig.)

CRASH! Curses streamed into the room, as a large, blonde woman appeared out of nowhere (one moment, there was air, the next, that lady just pops out. Maybe she was serious about the magician thing). She had her hair in two ponytails, which were flopped over her shoulders. As well, she was wearing a dark green t-shirt over white pants.

What I saw first, though, was the round circular object that was above her eyes, crowing her head. And by thing, I mean 'A large, golden, circular object that looks like a cross between a crown and a bat. Or maybe an owl.' It looks like the person making it could decide between people and animal, and chose to make something in-between.

Then, as she finally notices me, the gold-haired woman looks at me.

"So, you're the new brat…" Shizune glared at Tsunade "I mean the new student that shall be a part of our school."

She called me a brat? Why I…wait a second.

Why is she looking at me that way? She looks like a wolf that is about to attack a rabbit.

And _I'm_ the rabbit.

ESCAPE ROUTE NEEDED!

Before I could leave, she grabbed my arm (what is it with them grabbing me?), and then grinned evilly (No! Not a grin to go with her eyes. SHUN! BURN! LEAVE ME ALONE!) She then turned to look at Miska, and asked, "Hmm…girl, what is you're name today?"

"Miska!" Miska yelled out cheerfully (how can she be happy? Is she ignoring the look on her principal's face?), pumping her arms up and down.

"Miska, you are Sakura's escort. And Sakura shall be in ALL of your classes…after all, she doesn't know anyone but you, right?"

….

WHAT? I HATE the principal now. This time I was sure I could escape the crazy girl. And now I find out I have to endure her everyday? No! I would go crazy before tomorrow!

"Ano…I really DON'T know he—" I started to tell the principal, hoping that this would change her mind. However, Miska decided to ruin my plan. She yelled out, "YES! WE ARE FRIENDS!!"

….there goes my plan….however, I will not give up without a fight, so I yelled back, "HOW ARE WE FRIENDS? WE BARELY MET!!"

"Eh? Why can't we be friends?" She questioned ME.

"BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW YOU!" Aren't you not supposed to talk to strangers?

"You're Sakura, and I'm Miska. We're both in the same grade. The rest we can learn later. SEE, WE'RE FRIENDS NOW!!"

THAT DOESN'T TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT HER! We are STILL strangers. However, before I could try and protest that this is dictatorship and not fair, Miska saluted to Tsunade (I KNEW we had to follow prison/military rules!), before dragging me off again (this is called KIDNAPPING. SHE SHOULD BE CHARGE FOR THIS!)

* * *

_As soon as the two girls left the room, Tsunade looked back at the folder on her desk. "Hmm…so the new girl is Haruno Sakura. Well, considering what she has gone through, I'd say __**She**__ will definitely help. After all, the others also…" her voice trailed off, before, in a whisper, she continued, "Maybe this will help __**Her**__ too." _

* * *

The second I saw people, I started to yell for help. Normal people should respond and then rescue me. 

"HELP ME!! PLEASE SAVE MY SOUL!! RESCUE ME, DAMMIT!"

For some reason, people just ignored me. (Are they used to pleas for help or something? Another reason to transfer out of here.)

The wild animal (I refuse to think of her as a human) holding my hand came to a stop in the courtyard. Then she decided to show me some special sites. It went something like this:

"This here is the Mysterious Forest" she pointed at a bunch of shrubs "where many dangerous wild creatures live" a bunch of squirrels and birds appeared "so be careful here."

Moving on to another place, she pointed at a HUGE rock, "that is the biggest mountain you shall ever see" so huge, in fact, that a kid jumped off it "SO NEVER CLIMB IT!" and the kid landed only three cm from the top of the rock.

I stared at her in disbelief. How did she get a CLIFF from a PEBBLE?? An EVIL FOREST from a BUSH? What COLOR is the SKY in HER world?

Clearly, she was insane and needed to be rushed to a hospital. Immediately.

"Please let go of me, Miska…" I hesitated, before adding, "-chan." Maybe if I pretend that I think of us as friends, she'll let go of me.

"Not yet!" Or not. She must be a mind-reader. She always stops my attempts at escaping. Well, she can't ignore this—I punched her on her arm. Hard. "I have to take you to see our counselor, Sakura-hime! Hehe…It feels like you're a princess that I'm escorting!" Miska chirped, ignoring the punch, dragging me off again.

HOW CAN SHE IGNORE MY PUNCHES? I took KARATE and other MARTIAL ARTS. I can BREAK wood and BRICKS. And she just acts like I DIDN'T punch with the STRENGTH of an ELEPHANT.

And, what's worse, is that she called me Sakura-hime. We aren't even FRIENDS yet!

….besides, **He** used to call me that. A long time ago. Not any more though…

While going down the road of despair in my mind, I noticed that we had finally stopped. In front of yet another door. With more writing, which read:

**I AM THE COUNSELOR!**

**Not that YOU shall EVER call me that!**

**For I am,**

**ANKO!! **

**THE AMAZING,**

**DEATH-DEFYING,**

**SEDUCTRESS!**

…

**Maybe not the last one, as**

**We are in SCHOOL!**

**But still…**

**WELCOME TO MY **

**TORTURING ROOM!**

**I mean, HELPING ROOM!**

…

**HELL NO! THAT SOUND'S LAME!**

**Instead, we shall call it….**

**THE ROOM OF ANKO!**

**No…**

**THE ****GREAT**** ROOM OF THE ****AMAZING**** ANKO!**

It was amazing that so much fit onto a door. "Are ALL of your teachers like this?" I asked my information source (like I said before, I still don't fully think of her as human).

"No. Just…one, two, three, four, five…maybe six…seven or is that eight?" Miska started to count on her fingers again. "Actually, all of them are like this."

"WHAT??" I yelled at her. Miska and Tsunade were bad enough, but every single adult was like this? **"THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I WILL BE ABLE TO SURVIVE THAT EVERYDAY AND EVERY PERIOD!" **

"Did you mention **HELL**?" a voice purred out.

"ANOTHER GHOST!" Hey, there was always the chance that Miska actually was a ghost. And we did go through that whole talk about ghosts and heaven earlier. And there was just a VOICE, no BODY attached. What ELSE would I think?

"A ghost? Frankly, I'm insulted," the voice continued

YAY! I WAS WRONG!

Then door in front of me opened, and there was a figure in the shadows. "I prefer the **Devil**."

The DEVIL? This must be a code name. One that the mafia uses. Lovely, my counselor is some assassin. And enjoys to practice torture on her students (now you can see why I overreact to things. I'm sort of imaginative. Correction, I make assumptions all the time and my imagination scares me half to death. That's why I enjoy drama. I can do this without creeping people out).

Then the person stepped out of the shadows, revealing a young woman with purple hair and eyes. She had a light purple sleeveless shirt, with a dark purple tattoo on her arm that was shaped in the form crouching cat.

"Hello, I'm Anko."

* * *

**A/N: ** Ano...is this good? I would like to know (cookies, chocolate, and cake to those who help. And to those worried about their health, HEALTHY food for you!). I rewrote this chapter. I hope this is better! 


	2. Meeting With The Devil

Disclaimer: Yes I own Naruto. Just one question, what color is the sky in your world?

Dedicated: To Extra Ren (again…this had better not be a habit) for being the first to review. And to everyone else who decided this was worth their time to read (and are about to throw this into their spam box).

* * *

_Are there really such things as coincidence? Is it just luck that two people meet, a question is asked, or something is found after it got lost? Perhaps things are lost for a reason, things are said to teach something, and a meeting occurs when it is needed the most. Maybe there is no such thing as coincidence, for that would be too random a chance. No, instead maybe all things happen for a reason, one that is not understood at the moment but slowly unravels itself through the course of time, so that when you are ready you will know._

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Meeting with the Devil**

* * *

Anko grinned before walking up to Miska. Moving her slightly to the side, she looked at me. My only line of defense was gone and now I was face to face with her. She seemed to be sizing me up, her eyes moving up and down, taking in my trembling figure and sheepish smile.

"Hmm…Miska, you haven't been scaring her, have you?" she asked, taking her eyes of me and looking at Miska.

"No! I just showed her the basement and our principal!" Miska chirped back. Anko looked back at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Girl, is she telling the truth?"

_Girl_? I lost my voice before, but it came back instantly. "My name is Sakura, not _Girl_. And, no, she is not telling the truth. While I did go to those places, she _dragged_ me around. And—"

"Basically Miska did what she normally does. So, you're Sakura, the new girl? Well," she looked at her watch, completely ignoring the fact that she interrupted me, "you still have half-an-hour before class starts."

I still have thirty minutes? That couldn't be right. I looked at my own watch and found out that it was 8:30. "Doesn't class start at 8 o'clock?" I asked, for that is the time I was supposed to come.

"Usually. Today's the first day of school and our teachers couldn't get dragged out of bed earlier than eight, so school starts at nine," Anko replied nonchalantly before turning around. "And as you are a new student, I am your physiatrist."

I have a _physiatrist_? I do not need another shrink. Having twelve of them last year was enough. I'm frankly annoyed by the fact that everyone thinks I need one.

"No thanks."

"Really?" Anko raised an eyebrow. "Well, you have no choice. I'm also your guidance counselor, so I advise that this is needed. Now, this is your first appointment."

"You can't force me to come," I glared at her back. Which might have been a bit pathetic, as she caught me and started to laugh.

"Who are you trying to scare with that look?" she asked as she clutched her stomach. "It's really weak, like a kitten trying to scare a tiger."

"That's the _best_ comparison you can come up with?" I asked, trying to regain what little dignity I had left at this moment. It seems like everyone was somehow making a joke out of me today. And the morning hadn't even started yet.

"Miska, please push the little cat in," Anko asked as she went back into her room.

"I'M NOT A CAT!!" I yelled, trying to stand my ground as Miska tried to push me in. "And I will NOT come in unless I FEEL like it."

Then I tumbled into the room.

It seems as while I had a lot of strength (and I used the proper stances I learned in karate), Miska was stronger. As in, it only took her ten seconds to push me in. And, as it seems like she's a hundred times stronger than me, she pushed a little too hard and caused me to literally fall in. I landed on my face (OUCH!!) and then slide into a table (I WILL KILL THAT GIRL!).

* * *

_A figure stood in a hallway. Talking on the phone, the figure frowned. "Is there anything I can do?" Silence ensued for a few moments as the caller replied. "If I find someone the deal is off, correct?" The figure listened a little longer and stopped frowning. "Very well then, I'll do it. In fact," the person recalls someone, another student that was seen earlier, "I've already found someone." _

* * *

"So, ready for me to dissect your brain?" Anko asked, grinning over her clipboard.

"N—" I start to tell her, for who in their right mind wants someone to 'dissect your brain'?

"Really? Great. Let's start," Anko ploughs on through, looking at her clipboard.

"What's your problem?"

Oh, so it's going to be like that? Fine, if she won't listen to me, then I'll just do the same to her.

"You are because you're not allowing me to leave."

Looking surprised for a moment, Anko smirks and starts writing down something before continuing.

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Restrained," I reply. Has she already fallen back to the usual questions? All shrinks I've been to act like they know what their doing, when all they do is ask the same questions, trying to understand me when they are not asking the right things.

"Have you been in jail lately?"

"Jail?" Where did _that_ come from?

"You're feeling 'restrained'. You get restrained by policemen. So you must have been in jail," Anko says, acting as if this is was a logical way to think.

. "No, I've _not_ been to jail. Jail is for bad people, not me. As in, it is for you, as you thought of jail instantly." (Eat your heart out, Anko)

She looked surprised for a moment (HAH!), but then she composed herself. "Is Sakura in denial? Good thing I'm here."

"Den—"

"Do you like snakes?"

"SNAKES?? WHERE??" (Did I forget to mention my fear of snakes?) I instantly jumped up on my chair.

"On your shoulder. But it left now," she added after watching me dance on the chair, shaking my shoulders wildly in an effort to get rid of the imaginary snake.

"Do you believe in Martians?" Anko asked while I sighed. This is going to be a long half-hour.

However, I was saved, by Miska of all people. She barged in, slamming the door open, ran up to Anko, and handed her some papers. While she was distracted, I managed to sneak out of the room.

* * *

Walking down the hall, looking for a place to hide for a while, I heard something. It sounded like a piano, maybe playing some classical music. It was a beautiful sound, haunting and sorrowful. Closing my eyes, I just listened to it for a while, entranced.

Suddenly, my feet were walking in the direction of the noise. I just had to know who was playing the music. I stopped in front of a door, slowly opening it when I decided that the music was coming from it. Looking around, I noticed all sorts of instruments. There were pianos, violins, clarinets, drums, and many more littered on the floor and tables. However, while there were seven pianos, there was not a single person inside. Taking another step, I was about to go and search when I was suddenly yanked from behind.

"Found you, Saku-chan!" Miska chirped, pulling me out of the room. She started to close the door while I looked at her angrily.

"Miska, must you always surprise me?" I asked her calmly.

"Yes! Is there a problem?"

"Miska," I tried to say calmly, "I WAS BUSY DOING SOMETHING, BAKA!" So much for being calm….

* * *

_Meanwhile, a person hiding under the piano gave a sigh of relief. "I wasn't caught playing the piano…and I'm safe…" the person thought, before slowly sneaking out of the room. Luckily there was another exit, so the person slipped out without alerting anyone.

* * *

_

"Miska, how did we go back to this?" I had to ask. After all, I thought she knew by now….

"How did we get back to what?" Miska sounded confused, while looking over her shoulder to talk to me.

Never mind. She'll never understand at this rate.

"Get back to THIS," I gestured at her hand. She was dragging me again, except this time I was lying on the floor while she pulled.

"Oh, are you getting dirty?"

Yes, Miska, that was the appropriate reply. Ignore the fact that you are doing something I told you to not do and….did she say dust?

"LET ME GET UP!!" There is no way I am ruining my clothes with the century-old mold on the floor.

"We're nearly there! I'll let you get up then!" Miska replied, before stopping in front of a door.

I managed to get off all the dust (and candy-wrappers….which I do not want to imagine where they've been…). "Where are we now, Miska?"

"Oh, just room 666," Miska replied. "This is our homeroom."

* * *

**A/N:** And I'll stop there. About the number '666' I just know that some of my friends think of it as the devil's sign or something, so I just felt like using that number. (Someone care to tell me what it stands for?)

….. And the italics parts are happening somewhere else. And will not make sense until later.

I've noticed this is really downplayed compared to the last chapter. I'm not sure if that's good…

But I have an excuse (this time, that is,)! Two, in fact!

1) People change (so my style changes a little. But I will try not to change too much)

And, 2) I was in the hospital while I was writing this. That explains the more somber mood.


	3. Idiots and Chemistry Do Not Mix

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to The only way I can read manga these days without getting caught. Sigh.

_Sometimes things don't work out as expected. Sometimes what is planned doesn't happen. But if everything went as you wanted it to, what would be worth doing? There has to be failures in order for us to see our successes, there has to be problems in order for us to achieve solutions. If things go wrong, that only makes us understand what is right and makes us appreciate it even more. _

…

…

…

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**Chapter Three**

**Chemistry and Idiots Do Not Mix**

…

…

…

…

I shivered in my seat as the teacher in front my started our lesson. Perhaps it had to do with his grin, his grin that was mocking and twisted and….

Well, his grin made me think that he isn't fully sane. He might have a screw loose….

And what's worse is that this teacher is extremely pale-skinned. I'm pale myself, but he is sickly pale. He is so pale it seems like he's never left the classroom, never stepped in the sun, never even looked out a window for years.

…And he has these creepy yellow eyes….Who has YELLOW eyes? He reminds me of a snake….a very ugly, girly snake.

In case you, whoever you are…damn…I'm talking to myself again. I really should stop that.

…but it helps organize my thoughts!! I need to do this sometimes! ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW!!

Anyways, my imaginary listener (not friend, not friend, I'm too old for that), in case you are wondering why I have a teacher that is scaring me half to death while he goes over our chemistry rules, I shall explain.

After we reached our classroom, I slowly started to slid open the door. However, Miska didn't want to wait so she slammed the door open, causing a large thundering sound to be heard.

KABOOM! And then the door simultaneously burst into flames. Into very large, warm, yellow flames that took a minute to turn it into ash.

I stared at the door—or at least, at its remains—before I turned to look at the girl who caused this.

"Miska," I started,

"Saku-chan, I can't wait for class!!" Miska chirped, pushing me into the classroom as if the doors exploded everyday.

And no one in the class batted an eye at the burnt door…well, some looked a little shocked, but no one really looked surprised.

…Did doors burn down everyday? Because if so, I can really just call health inspectors and close down the school.

And then I wouldn't have to be here any more.

…And no more Miska.

…I'd be free….

"Saku-chan, don't worry!" I got startled out of my thoughts by Miska, who's face was right in front of mine.

"The door? It happens everyday, right?" I asked, assuming she meant that.

"The door? No…It doesn't…only on…Thursdays, I think…" Miska looked confused for a second, before she shook her head like a dog. "Anyways, you need more friends, right?"

Oh no. She was going to show me more freaks. And then I would be forced to associate with them until I officially lost my mind.

"No," I was not going to let her do this to me, "I am perfectly fine having you as my only friend," compliments should work, right? "I don't need any other friend when I have you."

Miska looked surprised before smiling. "Really? I mean that much?"

Mission accomplished.

"Yep! Now, should we find seats?"

"Yes, there are some near that window…" Miska spotted something and stopped talking. While she was looking away, I looked at the classroom.

It wasn't too big, with counters attached to three of the walls. There were cabinets on one of those three walls, while there were seven sinks evenly distributed on the three counters. On the wall closest to me, there was a large wooden table and black boards, probably the teacher's desk. There were also many tables in the classroom, each with two chairs behind them arranged the in four rows and three columns. Besides Miska and me, there were about ten other students. And they were all wearing similar clothes. Very similar. The girls had pleated, dark blue skirts that reached up to their knees, along with a white blouse. They had lilac-colored ties around their necks, with a symbol on them. The boys were wearing something similar, only they had pants instead of skirts.

…it almost seemed like a uniform.

A uniform that I wasn't wearing and hadn't heard about.

God, please tell me we don't have to wear uniforms! PLEASE!

"Miska, do we have uniforms in this school?" I looked at her clothes again, feeling relieved when I noticed they weren't at all like the other students.

(Probably a cult, probably a cult, they are just a cult, cult, cult,)

"Eh? Uniforms?" Miska replied, turning back to face me.

(Probably a cult, just a cult, a odd very cult, cult,)

"Yeah! We have cool uniforms!"

(Cult, cult, can't hear her, can't…did she just say they look cool? Does she have a sense of fashion?...ok, they do look good, but I like my own clothes.)

"Anyways, I have to show you someone!"

"I said NO FRIENDS!!" I thought my ploy worked….and as it hasn't, I started to walk backwards.

Only to be jerked forward, narrowly missing a table and three chairs, when Miska grabbed my wrist and started to drag me off to the seats she was pointing to earlier.

"NARU-CHAN! LOOK WHAT I'VE GOT!"

"I AM NOT A BLOODY POSSESSION! DAMNIT!" I screeched in her ear. "I AM HUMAN!"

Of course, she must be deaf or something for she continued to yell out, "LOOK WHAT I HAVE!! IT IS SO COOL!"

I glared at Miska again, ticked off.

**Next time, make her explode with the door. That would get rid of her for sure!**

….I was hearing voices again. For some reason, I seem to have a spirit in my mind that I can hear and see. And this spirit, which I've named Inner Sakura (which is a way better name than _Super Cool Fighter That Defeats Morons and Squirrels-That-Steal-Your-Blueberries_, the name that the spirit was thinking of), likes to talk to me sometimes. And right now she is taking a voodoo doll and attaching a bomb to it.

…I wish I could do that for real….

…and I must be some mental case for having these voices in my head…but compared to Miska that is nothing, so I don't think anyone really needs to know about it.

…and besides, Inner is way more violent than me…..

Anyways, I heard an immature voice yell back, "MISKA!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT! It makes me sound…WEAK!! AND GIRLY!!"

"Naru-chan," Miska stopped in her tracks and started to talk back to the boy. She pouted for a moment, before continuing, "I have a surprise!"

Oh, now I'm a surprise. Lovely. I really don't get any say in this at all, do I?

"A SURPRISE?? REALLY?" The voice sounded excited, "WHERE?"

"Here!" Miska then pulled my wrist making me trip over my feet and fall into her arms. She then, having her deathly grip on my shoulders, turned my head towards the voice.

I could see this blonde boy in front of me. His hair was spiky (probably jelled) and his eyes were a summery blue. For some reason (some accident? Is he some sort of a gang member?), on his tan face there were six whiskery marks, three on each cheek. He was also wearing the (cursed-by-god) uniform, except he also seemed to have oranges splotches on the clothes.

…And he seemed to be staring at me….

….he also seemed to be turning a little red…

…and maybe began to blush a little….

(Oh god, were those HEARTS I saw in his eyes?)

"Miska-chan," he suddenly sounded suspiciously polite, "Who is this pretty lady with you?" Then he winked at me…about ten times….

(Is that his attempt at FLIRTING?)

"Naru-chan, this is Saku-chan!" Miska started to say, before I interrupted her.

"Hi, I'm Haruno Sakura," I corrected because there is no way I am going to be known as

_Saku-chan_.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" the boy grinned back, flattening his hair (to no avail, for they just bounced back up). "Do you have anything you are doing later?"

"No…" I looked at him carefully….is he going to…oh please, no…

"Well, then do you want to—" thankfully, god decided to help me and made the bell ring.

A rush of students tumbled in through the empty doorway, sitting down quickly. Miska pulled me down into a seat and I looked at the door to see our teacher.

Who then walked in with a glass cage filled with snakes. Big snakes. Small snakes. Yellow snakes.

Basically, it was bursting with snakes.

Then, before I could give a horrified gasp, the glass cage was placed on the teacher's desk and I saw the teacher.

_That_ made me give a small scream.

He had long black hair, pasty skin, yellow eyes, and a smile that seemed to match his snakes.

It made me think that we were prey and he was a predator waiting to eat us.

He wore a white shirt, with dark-bluish pants that had a dark purple….rope…(a thick rope…that people use to dock ships….) holding it up.

And then he hissed out, "My name isssss Orochimaru….You can call me O-chan"

…is he trying to be young or something. O-chan? A pedophile in the making.

"Make yourssself feel at home," he continued.

Right. I'll make myself feel at home in a classroom full of snakes.

And that brings us to the present, where he is telling us the rules of the classroom.

"And our rules:

If you're experiment goes perfectly, then you are doing something wrong.

If your solution doesn't match the question, make up the question.

Snakes are supposed to be fed twice a day three mice each.

The students shall take turns feeding the snakes.

O-chan is the boss who you shall all adore.

If you blow-up something, you pass the class.

However, I want ten explosions for that.

If you get hurt, not my problem.

I am available after school, before school, and during lunch.

If you need any help, that is. Or if you want to learn more about me.

…And the next rule is….

….Kabuto….Where did my list go?

….damn…I think I lost them…must make more up later…

"I'll read the rest of the rules later. When you need to learn them," Orochimaru-sensei smiled before reaching into the drawers of his desk.

"And here is the seating plan,"

Oh god…I won't be sitting next to Miska, will I?

…

Given my luck, that might actually happen. Or I will sit next to Naruto….who seems to be like Miska….

…

No, I am not that cursed. It won't happen.

(Iwon'tsitnexttoherIwon'tsitnexttoherIwon'tsitnexttoher)

"And, in the third row…." Orochimaru continued, "Is Haruno Sakura and…"

(Iwon'tsitnexttoherIwon'tsitnexttoherIwon'tsitnexttoherGodPLEASE!)

"one of my favorite pupils, Tsuchi Kin."

Phew. I'm safe for now.

"And in the fourth row, Miska and Uzumaki Naruto."

…only to have the pair of idiots behind me. Odd…why doesn't Miska have a last name? Before I could contemplate this any more, he-who-loves-snakes spoke again.

"And since today is the first day, why don't we do an experiment?"

Immediately, he slid down one of the chalk boards, sliding it down until it came to written instructions. Then, he had this white-haired student with glasses quickly give everyone beakers and chemicals.

…That student is VERY fast. I barely blinked and the equipment was in front of me.

After working on our experiment for half an hour (Kin isn't that bad of a partner.

………

ok, that is a lie. She constantly complains about my hair (**Tch. She's just jealous of how beautiful and silky it is**) and expected me to screw our experiment up. However, she does work hard, so I'll forgive her), I sighed with relief. The period is nearly over, and I would soon be able to leave. And then I started to hear Miska's and Naruto's argument behind me:

"NARU-CHAN!! HE SAID THE BLUE LIQUID!!"

"Miska…." Naruto's voice whined back, "He said the RED liquid"

"NO!! THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE BURNED!!"

"Where did BURNING come from?"

"CAN'T YOU READ, BAKA?"

"…"

"You can't?"

"NO! I CAN!! I just can't read handwriting very well…"

"…"

"…"

"Miska-chan, can you read it?"

"…"

"…"

"No…."

"…"

"I HAVE A SOLUTION!"

"What?"

"Let's do BOTH!!"

"You're brilliant, Miska-chan!"

I wasn't to sure if they were doing anything right, because I don't remember a red or blue liquid.

…

I don't even think we used a fire.

…

I have a bad feeling about this.

"I'll do mine here, Naru-chan!"

"WHHAAAT!!?"

"Don't worry Naru-chan, you can do yours…." Her voice dipped lower.

"…"

"…"

I couldn't hear what they are whispering about, but I really don't want to know either.

"OK! I'll WIN!!! AND PROVE YOU WRONG!!"

"WE'LL SEE, NARU-CHAN, WE'LL SEE!!"

And then all was quiet. I closed my eyes, only to open them to an incredibly brilliant blue sky.

The sky then moved away and I noticed it was Naruto.

Why was he….oh…no….that…no, they wouldn't…

…actually, they would.

"Look, Sakura-chan!" Naruto, who was in front of my desk, held in his hand a beaker filled with red liquid.

"Naruto…." I murmured, shocked. Their plan was to do it in MY (ok, our) experiment? HELL NO! I AM GOING TO PREVENT THEM FROM KILLING ME! (I have no doubt they will create poison)

However, before I could move, he poured it into our liquid. And I looked down when I felt something near my feet to see….

….Kin, who was apparently playing with a snake under the desk. She knew this would happen, didn't she.

I twitched slightly, before looking back at the liquid. It was now smoking. And boiling. And turning my head back at Miska's potion, I noticed the same thing was happening.

…and then it happened.

"BOOM!" Both of the liquids exploded at the same time, deafening me. They both broke their containers and made the tables shoot up in the air, bursting into flames.

And then the tables flew out of the window, breaking it.

Luckily, I didn't manage to get cut by the glass, but MY FREAKING BACKPACK WAS ON THE TABLE!!

"Ano…gomen, Sakura-chan," Naruto sheepishly grinned at me, scratching the back of his head.

"HA! TAKE THAT NARU-CHAN! YOUR IDEA DIDN'T WORK!" Miska yelled at Naruto, stabbing him with her pencil.

"OUCH!" Naruto winced, before retorting, "Well, YOURS didn't work EITHER!"

"HA! Mine worked better!"

"No, YOURS made TWO windows break!"

"Well," Miska was about continue, before she noticed something.

Or rather, she noticed me.

"Saku-chan," she began, squinting at me, "Is that an…an…AURA I see around you?"

Naruto turned to look at me as well, looking slightly frightened.

Which he has every right to be. For he was facing a very pissed Sakura who was going to break every bone in the two idiots bodies.

And I think that my killing intent managed to show itself to them.

Very calmly, I said, "Miska, Naruto, would either of you care to get my backpack?"

"Ehhh??? Backpack? Where is your backpack?" Miska and Naruto asked at the same time.

Grinning manically, I grabbed them by the scruff of their necks and pushed their heads out the window. "Look down."

"Why?" They asked, before looking down.

"SAKU-CHAN!! YOUR BACKPACK IS ON THE GROUND!!" Miska pointed out the obvious.

"Sakura-chan, that's YOUR backpack? What's it doing ON THE PARKING LOT??" Naruto asked, confused.

I grinded my teeth together, before yelling at them.

"YOU TWO IDIOTS MADE MY BACKPACK FLY OUT THE WINDOW WITH YOUR EXPERIMENTS!"

And I was about to rant even more, as they had turned around to look at me, when I felt a warm breath on my shoulder. "Issss everything all right, Sakura-chan?"

That was one of the creepiest voices in my life, suddenly at my shoulders, breathing on my neck.

My instincts told me to get away.

My mind told me to get away.

So my body, listening to my mind and instincts, quickly running behind Naruto. Who seemed to be turning red at the fact.

(Damn…he does have a crush….and is he trying to turn around and HUG me?)

"What happened here?"

Peeking over his shoulder, I saw it was our teacher.

Miska replied, "No! We just did the experiment!"

Naruto grinned, "We got really close!!"

Orochimaru smiled back at us, "Well, that'ssssss good to hear. However….next time try not to blow my tablessss up. You nearly killed my sssssnakesss."

Oh, he's worried about his poor _snakes_. Not his students. Well, I feel so much more secure.

"O-chan-sama," the white-haired student came to the sensei. I felt slightly disturbed at the fact that this student actually called him that. "I have some information you might like."

"Thank you, Kabuto," evil-man-who-cares-more-about-snakes-than-_me_ walked away from us.

Leaving Naruto and Miska to my wrath.

I quickly left Naruto (where I was not hiding behind, damnit. I just needed a shield in case more things blew up…really) and punched them both on the head.

(…sigh…I think they're making me more violent…)

"Now," I hissed out, glaring, "You will go and get me my backpack."

"H-hai," they stuttered out (because I am awesomely scary and powerful), immediately leaving the classroom and running down the stairs to get my stuff.

RING! The bell rang, signaling that first period (thank god) was over and now second period was beginning.

"Time for history class!" Miska chirped, waving goodbye to Naruto and pulling me behind her.

"Naruto isn't coming?" I asked, surprised.

"No, he has a different class right now!"

"Oh."

Two minutes later, we reached a classroom.

"ARF!" When we opened the door, I was greeted with barking.

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…

…

…

…

**A/N:** Ano…I don't know…was this a good chapter? Anyways, I bet most of you (at least, most of you who have read other high school stories) expected Kakashi to be their first period teacher. I bet you also expected everyone to be in all of their classes.

…

HA! Life doesn't work out like that. And it'd be WAY too convenient. Don't worry, Sasuke, Hinata, and some of the other characters will appear next chapter….

…. As well, sorry for any errors in this. I'm trying to post this up before I am dragged to bed.

Guess who's barking? (you probably will guess right to some extent…can anyone guess why the barker is there?)

……..

Review?


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